Cartoon Made Martin Do It!

… Martin’s new opinion came about after he was embarrassed publicly. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility released e-mails sent to Martin from the EPA that made clear that even if the agency imposed a limit, 6 1/2 years could elapse before the rule was in place, Staff Writer James O’Neill reported. Martin would have been playing Russian roulette with the public’s health.

Perchlorate is linked to thyroid dysfunction. In fetuses and infants (through formula or breast milk), high levels of perchlorate can cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. No parent would ever choose to give perchlorate-laced juice to a baby, and no pregnant woman would ever drink a caffeine-free beverage if she knew it included a rocket-fuel additive.

The previous commissioner had proposed a sensible perchlorate limit of 5 parts per billion, far below a possible federal limit. The state limit would leave it in a good position if later scientists find that even 15 parts per billion is too high.

Martin has not said what the perchlorate limit will be. We know what it should be: 5 parts per billion.

Today’s Top News

(Cartoon taken down – posted without permission. I just found out that artists freelance and need to get paid (in addition to their day job salary)-Â guess I’m one of those naive anti-property rights folks who see art as part of the human conversation and political landscape – but I can’t afford to pay for Margulies for his cartoon, so go see it here:)

Today’s Bergen Record reports that DEP Commissioner Bob Martin – just weeks after killing DEP’s proposed drinking water standard for the chemical perchlorate – will propose a standard “as quickly as possible”.

And Martin and Lt. Governor “Red Tape” “Regulatory Czar” Guadagno need to get their cover stories straight. First the pretext for killing the proposal was to wait for EPA to propose a standard “this summer”. Then it shifted to the need for cost benefit analysis. And then it was blamed on the allegedly “shoddy” DEP science and “no data” to show health risks.

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula on Tuesday announced the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee will hear testimony on the state’s energy master plan, including a review of work to meet its goals and an assessment of what further needs to be done.

â€œNew Jerseyâ€™s successful clean energy programs have been hit hard by Gov. Christie, threatening economic development and our goal of making New Jersey more energy independent and a leader in building a green economy,â€ said Chivukula (D-Somerset/Middlesex). who chairs the panel. â€œItâ€™s time to assess where we stand, where we go from here to minimize the damage and what further work needs to be done to meet our goals.â€

The hearing to take testimony from invited guests is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 6 in Committee Room 9 in the State House Annex in Trenton.